Who killed Evelyn Lund?

THE woman who was the last friend to see Evelyn Lund alive has revealed how she became desperate and depressed before her disappearance.

Marianne Ramsey said she became concerned because the mother-of-three couldn't stand up for herself and appeared mentally and physically beaten down.

Former Army captain Marianne, 57, from Canterbury, moved to France in 1998 with husband Alan. She met Evelyn within weeks on market day in Ralmont as she chatted in the central village caf.

The friendship between Marianne and Evelyn grew out of common interests - two wealthy animal lovers, both married for the second time, and drawn to the south of France with dreams of an idyllic, peaceful retirement.

Their weekly rendezvous in the village soon grew to include dinner parties and luncheons.

Marianne often turned to her English compatriot for advice on French life - from finding builders and electricians to advice on caring for her sheep, geese, peacocks and chickens.

According to Marianne, Evelyn was the "kindest and warmest woman you would ever want to meet."

"I am speaking out for her because she deserved better and she can not speak up for herself.

"For the first time, when she came to see me on December 29, the day before she went missing, it was all positive. She knew she had to do something."

She said Evelyn was a lovely woman who liked cooking and recipes and she would often call round at her home with a batch of home-cooked cakes or jam.

But she revealed Evelyn relied on her to counter the remote farmhouse lifestyle. Despite having several acres, Evelyn and Robert were living in one split-level room of the house with a tiny kitchenette.

"Evelyn felt incredibly isolated and she did not have any local friends," she said. "She would clutch on to me and use me as a bit of a lifeline.

"She really was one of those people who would do anything for you and she shared my absolute dedication for animals and would do anything for them. There was not a single nasty bone in her body."

Marianne began to notice a gradual change in Evelyn in the 18 months after they first met.

She added: "Evelyn was not the kind of person to speak out but she was being ground down. She lost her self-confidence and in that way almost became inadequate as a person. She couldn't stand up for herself and was mentally and physically beaten down.

"A bright, vibrant woman became someone who you wanted to shake and say 'for God's sake, do something to change things'. It was terrible to watch. It would make me squirm.

"She did not deserve what happened to her. She was a brilliant woman.

"We began to distance ourselves from Robert and by spring 1999 we had nothing to do with him.

"Mentally and physically she was losing self-confidence and starting to turn to alcohol as a way of getting through the day.

"One time she turned up with a knife cut across her hand, apparently after an argument. They apparently had both given each other a wallop. But it was so tragic.

"You can see how people would think she was the rich widow who had been taken advantage of. But it made her worse to think people thought she had been a mug."

Marianne said Evelyn was depressed, but refused to go to the doctors about anything out of fear of what had happened to her first husband Arthur, who died of cancer after 22 years of marriage.

Marianne said: "She became friendly with another couple nearer to the house so used to call more rather than visit. But her calls would get longer and longer and more rambling.

"She would say something over and over again but would have completely forgotten by the morning. It was wearing. By the end if it was after 10pm we stopped answering the phone. She was chronic and overwhelming.

"Evelyn was desperate. She wouldn't get any help and she didn't speak any French. She was constantly phoning her daughters and was always talking of going back to England."